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9.28.2010

Downstate and Back Again!

I am just back from a whirlwind weekend in NYC, visiting my parents all by my lonesome and teaching at Knit, Long Island. It was the first time since my girl was born (read 10 years) that I have had time alone with my parents and we did all of the grown-up things that we've been dying to do together.

Our visit to the Cooper Hewitt National Design museum really sticks out as the highlight of our time together. Right now there is an exhibit entitled Why Design Now? that really got my blood pumping. Many of the designs highlighted emphasize solutions to everyday dilemmas in a way that is simple, refreshing, and brilliant. The idea that a design serves it's purpose by answering a need in the most logical straightforward way while maintaining a high level of aesthetic inspires me to no end. From a thresher built from locally obtainable parts (bicycle, cardboard, cable ties), to affordable glasses that can be manually adjusted to the wearer's prescription, to a program in England that revives the telephone for the elderly to create community, to Natalie Chanin's garments which create work for an in need population while reviving their regional handwork this exhibit is really worth a visit.

On Sunday I drove out to Knit, Long Island and had the most lovely day teaching a room of 16 ladies how to work Undulating Waves. I have to say, this was the first beaded design I did and it is not the easiest! I really worked them until they all understood the concept. Many of them were deep into the first few repeats of the scarf by the end of the day.

I'm always so impressed when students come to learn a new technique and just keep trying until it makes sense to them. Here is one of my students (Malina!) before the lightbulb went on for her... thinking she wasn't so in love with me at the moment!

Here's Audrey (one of Knit's three owners) blogging me while I blog her:

And here are two of my lovely students, Nancy and Susan:

I'm sorry that I didn't get pics of everyone, I was too busy teaching, and getting to know some of Long Island's knitters... but it sounds like I'll be back there in the spring, and I can't wait!